PMP People — Leading Projects — Timed 40 Questions

Question 1

A project team is experiencing low morale due to high workload and unclear priorities. The project manager wants to improve motivation. Which TWO actions are most effective according to motivational theories?

40 minute time limit — choose an answer to begin.

Accepted Answer

Recognize individual contributions in team meetings.. Recognizing individual contributions in team meetings directly addresses the esteem needs in Maslow's hierarchy and provides positive reinforcement per Herzberg's motivator factors. This action boosts morale by validating effort, which is critical when workload is high and priorities are unclear. Involving the team in reprioritizing the backlog directly addresses the 'unclear priorities' and 'high workload' issues by providing autonomy, ownership, and clarity. This aligns with Herzberg's motivator factors (responsibility, achievement) and theories emphasizing intrinsic motivation like McGregor's Theory Y and Pink's Drive (autonomy, purpose), making it highly effective for improving motivation.

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Increase oversight to ensure no tasks are missed.

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Conduct a blame-free review of recent failures.

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Offer a bonus for meeting deadlines.

Question 2

Which TWO actions are effective for improving team performance in a virtual environment? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Schedule daily stand-up meetings via video conference.. Daily stand-up meetings via video conference foster regular communication, alignment, and accountability in a virtual team, which is a key practice in agile project management. Video adds non-verbal cues that improve engagement and trust, directly addressing the isolation common in remote work. Additionally, organizing virtual team-building activities monthly helps to strengthen team bonds, improve morale, and build psychological safety, which are crucial for collaboration and performance in a remote setting.

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Increase meeting duration to cover all topics in one session.

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Replace synchronous meetings with email updates.

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Encourage team members to record their contributions for later review.

Question 3

A project manager is leading a globally distributed team with members in different time zones. The team is experiencing communication breakdowns and missed deadlines. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to improve team performance? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Implement a shared collaboration tool that highlights time zones.. A shared collaboration tool that highlights time zones (A) directly addresses the challenge of coordinating across different time zones. By making time zone differences visible, team members can schedule meetings and deadlines more effectively, reducing communication breakdowns and missed deadlines. This is a practical, technology-enabled solution that supports asynchronous collaboration. Establishing clear communication protocols and expectations (B) is fundamental for any team, but especially critical for globally distributed teams. It provides a framework for how, when, and where communication should occur, reducing ambiguity, preventing misunderstandings, and ensuring information flows efficiently, thereby addressing communication breakdowns and contributing to meeting deadlines.

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Increase the frequency of status meetings to daily.

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Require all team members to work in a single time zone.

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Assign a single point of contact for each location to relay information.

Question 4

During a project transition, a key team member resigns unexpectedly. The project manager needs to ensure knowledge transfer and minimize impact. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Redistribute the departing member's tasks among the team based on capacity and skills, and update the work breakdown structure. Redistributing the departing member's tasks based on team capacity and skills (A) is a proactive resource management action that maintains project continuity and minimizes impact. Updating the work breakdown structure (WBS) ensures the project scope and task assignments are accurately reflected. Arranging for the departing member to document key processes and create a handover document (B) is crucial for formal knowledge transfer, especially during a transition. Conducting an exit interview focused on documenting knowledge (E) provides another opportunity to capture critical information and insights from the departing team member. These three actions collectively address both minimizing immediate impact and ensuring knowledge transfer, leveraging existing resources and capturing vital information before the member departs. Options C and D are less effective; simply 'absorbing tasks' (C) without considering capacity can lead to overload, and 'immediately hiring' (D) is not a quick fix for immediate knowledge gaps or task continuity due to the time required for recruitment and onboarding.

Answer

Ask the remaining team members to absorb the departing member's tasks

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Immediately hire a replacement with similar skills

Question 5

As a project manager, you want to motivate your team to achieve high performance. Which TWO techniques are most aligned with PMI's recommended practices for motivating team members?

Accepted Answer

Provide opportunities for professional development and learning. PMI's leadership model emphasizes that providing opportunities for professional development and learning (Option A) is a key motivator that aligns with the 'Servant Leadership' approach. This practice fosters intrinsic motivation by helping team members grow their skills, which directly supports high performance and retention. It is grounded in PMI's current skill framework (Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen) and the principle of empowering the team through continuous improvement. Additionally, recognizing individual and team achievements publicly (Option E) is a powerful non-monetary motivator that builds morale, reinforces positive behaviors, and fosters a culture of appreciation and high performance, aligning with PMI's focus on building collaborative and engaged teams.

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Assign more challenging tasks to stretch their capabilities

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Implement a penalty system for missed deadlines

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Offer monetary bonuses for early completion of milestones

Question 6

A project manager is leading a distributed team with members in three different countries. The team has been struggling with miscommunication and missed deadlines. The project manager wants to improve team performance. Which TWO actions should the project manager take? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Implement a daily stand-up meeting at a rotating time to accommodate all time zones. A daily stand-up meeting at a rotating time ensures that all team members across different time zones have an equal opportunity to participate, fostering regular communication and alignment. This directly addresses miscommunication and helps prevent missed deadlines by creating a predictable, inclusive cadence for sharing progress and blockers. Additionally, creating a team charter is a foundational step for any team, especially a distributed one. It explicitly defines communication channels, establishes clear meeting times, and sets response time expectations, which directly tackles the root cause of miscommunication and provides a framework for accountability to avoid missed deadlines.

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Increase sprint length to four weeks to give more time for tasks

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Allow team members to communicate directly with stakeholders without involving the project manager

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Require all team members to work the same hours regardless of time zone

Question 7

A project manager is leading a complex software development project using a hybrid approach. A new regulatory requirement has been discovered that affects the project's scope. The requirement is mandatory and must be implemented before the project can close. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Communicate the new requirement to the project team and relevant stakeholders. When a new, mandatory regulatory requirement affecting project scope is discovered in a hybrid project, the project manager must take several critical steps. First, it is essential to communicate the new requirement to the project team and relevant stakeholders (Option B) to ensure awareness and alignment. Simultaneously, or immediately following initial communication, the project manager must analyze the impact of the new requirement on the project's schedule, budget, and resources (Option D) to understand the full implications. Finally, because it's a scope change, especially a mandatory one, a formal change request must be initiated through the Integrated Change Control process (Option E) to ensure it is properly reviewed, approved, and documented before any implementation begins. Options A and C are incorrect because they advocate for immediate action without proper analysis and formal change control, which is contrary to PMP best practices for managing changes, even mandatory ones.

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Immediately adjust the project budget and schedule to accommodate the requirement

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Assign the new requirement to the development team to start work immediately

Question 8

A project manager is leading a team that is newly formed and includes members from different functional areas. The team is experiencing low trust and reluctance to share ideas. The project manager wants to build a high-performing team. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Set clear team goals and define success criteria together. Setting clear team goals and defining success criteria together (Option C) is correct because it aligns the team around a shared purpose, which is essential for building trust and collaboration in a newly formed, cross-functional team. This action ensures that all members understand what they are working toward and how their contributions fit into the bigger picture, directly addressing the reluctance to share ideas by creating a common ground.

Facilitating a team charter workshop (Option D) is crucial for establishing shared values, norms, and ground rules for interaction. This proactive step helps define acceptable behaviors, communication protocols, and decision-making processes, which are fundamental for building psychological safety and trust, thereby encouraging members to share ideas without fear.

Organizing team-building activities focused on collaboration and trust (Option E) directly addresses the low trust and reluctance to share. These activities provide opportunities for team members to interact in a low-stakes environment, learn about each other's strengths, and build rapport, fostering a sense of camaraderie and psychological safety necessary for a high-performing team.

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Provide individual rewards for top performers to motivate competition

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Assign a mentor from outside the team to guide team members

Question 9

A key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a supply chain disruption. This risk was identified and included in the risk register. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan that was defined for this risk. Since the risk was identified and included in the risk register, a contingency plan should have been defined. The correct first action is to implement that pre-planned contingency plan to address the supply chain disruption, as it is the most efficient and proactive response to a known risk.

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Escalate the issue to the steering committee for guidance

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Brainstorm new solutions with the team since the risk was not anticipated

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Wait to see if the vendor can resolve the issue before taking action

Question 10

You are leading a virtual team across multiple time zones. Team members report feeling disconnected and communication is becoming less effective. Which TWO actions should you take to improve team cohesion and collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Create a team charter that defines communication norms, meeting times, and preferred collaboration tools. A team charter (Option A) establishes clear communication norms, meeting times, and collaboration tools, which directly addresses the root cause of disconnection in a virtual team. By defining these expectations upfront, the charter reduces ambiguity and ensures all members are aligned on how and when to communicate, fostering cohesion. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on creating a team charter to set ground rules and improve team performance. Additionally, scheduling regular virtual team-building activities and informal coffee chats (Option B) directly addresses the 'feeling disconnected' aspect by fostering personal connections and trust among team members, which are crucial for effective collaboration and team cohesion in a virtual environment.

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Encourage team members to use instant messaging for all communication

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Increase the frequency of status reports to ensure everyone is updated

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Require all team members to work the same hours regardless of time zone

Question 11

You are building a new project team for a complex initiative. To set the team up for success, you want to establish a high-performing team environment from the start. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority. Options A and D are correct because involving the team in creating a team charter and defining clear roles and responsibilities are foundational for team performance. Option B is wrong as it is not a starting action for building a high-performing team environment. Option C is premature. Option E is incorrect because providing the project management plan is an information-sharing action that does not actively establish team norms, collaboration, or a high-performing environment; it is not about team development or chartering.

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Assign team members to specific tasks immediately to ensure quick progress

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Conduct a team-building retreat after the first project milestone

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Provide each team member with a copy of the project management plan

Question 12

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that unclear roles and responsibilities have caused confusion and rework. Which TWO documents or tools would BEST help address this issue? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Team charter. The team charter is correct because it formally defines team roles, responsibilities, and operating norms, directly addressing the root cause of confusion and rework. By establishing clear expectations upfront, it prevents ambiguity in task ownership and decision-making authority. The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RACI) is also correct as it specifically clarifies and defines individual responsibilities for specific tasks or deliverables, ensuring accountability and reducing confusion.

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Work breakdown structure (WBS)

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Risk register

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Project schedule

Question 13

A project manager is leading a virtual team that has never worked together. To build a high-performing team, which TWO actions should the PM take? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Schedule a virtual kickoff meeting with icebreakers and team-building exercises. A virtual kickoff meeting with icebreakers and team-building exercises establishes initial rapport, trust, and social connections among team members who have never worked together. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on forming stage activities to build a foundation for team development in virtual environments. Additionally, creating a team charter is crucial for defining clear communication norms, expectations, and roles, which are essential for reducing ambiguity and fostering a productive environment, especially for a new virtual team aiming for high performance.

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Monitor team interactions closely and report any issues to senior management

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Assign individual tasks and avoid collaboration to prevent conflict

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Allow the team to self-organize without any initial guidance

Question 14

Your project team is experiencing low sprint velocity for three consecutive sprints. The team cites unclear requirements and frequent interruptions. Which TWO actions should you take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Implement a policy to minimize interruptions during the sprint. The team explicitly cited 'unclear requirements' and 'frequent interruptions' as the reasons for low velocity. Option C, 'Implement a policy to minimize interruptions during the sprint,' directly addresses 'frequent interruptions.' Protecting the team from external disruptions is a key Agile practice to improve focus and throughput. Option E, 'Improve backlog refinement to ensure requirements are clear before the sprint,' directly addresses 'unclear requirements.' Backlog refinement is the process of detailing, estimating, and ordering backlog items, ensuring they are 'ready' for a sprint. This proactive step prevents the team from wasting time on ambiguous tasks during the sprint. Both actions directly tackle the root causes identified by the team, aligning with Agile principles for improving velocity.

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Add more team members to the sprint

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Replace underperforming team members

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Increase the sprint length to give the team more time

Question 15

Your agile project team is experiencing conflicts between two developers regarding coding standards. The conflict is affecting team morale and productivity. As the project manager, which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to collaboratively define a coding standard that everyone agrees on. In an agile environment, the project manager acts as a servant leader, facilitating the team's ability to self-organize and resolve its own issues. Facilitating a meeting with both developers to understand their perspectives (E) is a crucial first step in conflict resolution, demonstrating active listening and empathy. Following this, encouraging the team to collaboratively define a coding standard that everyone agrees on (A) empowers them to reach a consensus and take collective ownership. This approach directly addresses the root cause of the conflict, fosters team cohesion, and ensures the standard is practical and accepted by all, rather than being imposed externally or escalated.

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Remove the developers from the project to avoid further conflict

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Decide on a coding standard yourself and enforce it

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Escalate the conflict to the functional managers of the developers

Question 16

Your project is in the execution phase when a new regulatory requirement is discovered that impacts the project scope. The change is mandatory and must be implemented immediately. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Update the project management plan and other relevant documents after approval. Even mandatory regulatory changes must follow the formal change control process. First, the project team must **assess the impact** (E) of the new regulation on all project aspects, including scope, schedule, and cost. This assessment forms the basis for a formal **change request** (C) which is then submitted to the Change Control Board (CCB) for review and approval. Once the change is approved, the **project management plan and other relevant documents** (A) are updated to reflect the new baseline, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned with the revised project scope and plan.

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Instruct the team to start implementing the change immediately

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Ignore the regulation because the project is already underway

Question 17

Your project team is experiencing low morale due to unclear roles and responsibilities. As a project manager using a servant leadership approach, which THREE actions would BEST address this issue?

Accepted Answer

Organize team-building activities to improve trust and communication. Unclear roles and responsibilities directly contribute to low morale. A servant leader focuses on empowering the team, fostering collaboration, and removing impediments. 
*   **D: Empower team members to define their own roles based on strengths** directly addresses the ambiguity by fostering team autonomy and leveraging individual capabilities, which is a core tenet of servant leadership.
*   **E: Facilitate a team charter workshop to clarify roles and responsibilities** is a proactive servant leadership action to guide the team in collaboratively defining their working agreements, including roles and responsibilities, thereby providing clarity and improving morale.
*   **B: Organize team-building activities to improve trust and communication** addresses the low morale aspect by fostering a more collaborative and supportive environment, which is essential for effective communication and eventual clarification of roles.
Options A and C are directive approaches that contradict the principles of servant leadership, which emphasizes empowerment and facilitation over control.

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Assign roles and responsibilities yourself to avoid confusion

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Increase supervision and hold daily status meetings

Question 18

You are leading a virtual team across three continents. Team members have expressed feeling isolated and disconnected from the project. Which TWO actions would best help build team cohesion and trust?

Accepted Answer

Schedule weekly virtual coffee chats or informal video calls for non-work interactions. Informal virtual coffee chats help build social bonds and reduce feelings of isolation in a distributed team. These non-work interactions foster trust and psychological safety, which are essential for team cohesion across different time zones and cultures. A team charter is also crucial for virtual teams as it establishes clear expectations for communication, response times, and collaboration. This clarity reduces ambiguity, prevents misunderstandings, and builds a foundation of trust and cohesion by ensuring all team members understand how to interact and what to expect from each other, thereby mitigating feelings of disconnection.

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Require everyone to work the same core hours regardless of time zone

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Send a weekly email newsletter with project updates and achievements

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Assign a mentor to each new team member from a different region

Question 19

You are the project manager for a global team with members from different cultures. You want to build a high-performing team. Which TWO actions are MOST effective for fostering collaboration and trust?

Accepted Answer

Develop a team charter that defines ground rules for communication and decision-making. A team charter creates shared ground rules for communication and decision-making, reducing ambiguity and building psychological safety in a cross-cultural team. Regular virtual social events and informal check-ins build personal connections and trust, which are critical for high-performing distributed teams. In contrast, strict individual performance targets can undermine collaboration by creating competition; rotating roles may disrupt team cohesion; and forcing a single communication tool may ignore cultural and practical differences.

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Implement a strict performance review system with individual targets

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Rotate team members across different roles to increase versatility

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Assign a single communication tool and require its exclusive use

Question 20

Your agile team has been experiencing conflict between two developers over coding standards. The conflict is affecting team morale and productivity. Which TWO actions should you take to resolve the conflict? (Choose TWO)

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the team to create or update coding standards. Collaborating with the team to create or update coding standards (A) directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—ambiguity or disagreement over the standards themselves. By involving the entire team, you foster ownership, alignment, and a shared understanding, which reduces future friction. This approach aligns with the agile principle of self-organizing teams and the PMI People domain focus on collaborative conflict resolution. Facilitating a meeting between the two developers (D) is also crucial as it promotes direct communication and problem-solving, allowing the individuals to understand each other's perspectives and find common ground, which is a key step in resolving interpersonal conflicts collaboratively and at the lowest appropriate level.

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Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own

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Reassign the developers to different teams

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Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor